The use of earplugs and earmuffs are the two most useful ways to protect against hearing loss in those environments where noise levels are not able to be controlled within safe limits. In many of those areas, the use of earmuffs is the preferred means of reducing sound intensity, in most instances to a degree even greater than that provided by the use of earplugs. Other uses for noise excluding hearing protectors include producing quiet for study, sleep, or audio purposes.
Earmuffs have advantages for intermittent use where continuous insertion and removal of earplugs would be annoying or impractical. Also, earmuffs tend to deliver higher in-field noise protection in many noisy environments than most earplugs. Additional preference for earmuffs include use outdoors in cool weather and use in dry climates.
Many earmuff wearers lift the muff cup off the ear when communicating with co-workers. Unfortunately, this action results in momentary removal of protection from the ear. Although the time can be minimal, the additive effects throughout the workday can be a concern. Additionally, improper re-seating of the earmuff around the ear can be a concern.
The above described and other disadvantages are overcome by the present acoustic earmuff device, which comprises a rigid cup, including inner and outer surfaces, a sound channel means disposed through said cup shaped portion, and a plate means operatively associated with said sound channel means, such that when the plate means is in a first orientation, sound attenuation through the plate means is greater than when the plate means is in a second orientation.
The above described and other features are exemplified by the following figures and detailed description.